Talk2ThePaw

Episode 6

November 01, 2020 Caroline Bartley & Scott Andrews Season 1 Episode 6
Talk2ThePaw
Episode 6
Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

In this episode, we discuss a recent spate of dog poisonings in the UK, a new study that questions whether a canine's character changes with age, the practicality of doorbells for dogs, and we celebrate the tiniest Wagtastic Woof so far.

Just how likely is it that your dog is going to be poisoned? In The Twilight Bark, we take a look at some of the dangers that can be found in the great outdoors. Is your garden puppy-proofed or will you be in for a big surprise?

In the Doggler Effect, we examine the ways in which your dog's character changes as it ages.  A new study from a university in Budapest has shown that a dog continues to mentally develop well into its mid-life.  Is your dog a middle-aged Einstein, or is he still full of the joys of spring?

This time in Gadgets, Gizmos, and Gastronomy, we examine the practicality of doorbells for dogs.  Our presenter and dog nerd go head-to-head over whether it is a gimmick or an act of genius.  Would your dog use a doorbell, or would it turn you into a canine concierge?

And our Episode 6 Wagtastic Woof is an epic heroine in the tiniest possible body.  Tune in to hear how this awesome little animal has broken down barriers and made the impossible possible.

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Caroline Bartley:

Hello, and welcome to Talk2ThePaw, a podcast that celebrates dogs for simply being wagtastic. I'm Caroline Bartley, and with the help of canine nerd, Scott Andrews we'll consider how and why these fabulous animals make such a huge contribution to our lives. Leaves are falling from the trees and the days are getting shorter here in the United Kingdom. It's the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, according to the poet Keats. But despite the changing seasons, some things remain reassuringly familiar. Episode six has the usual array of tricks and treats to keep you entertained. So grab a large handful of all that Halloween confectionery. The kids won't notice honestly and nestle yourself into a comfy chair for the next 30 minutes or so. You know how it goes by now, let's get started with The Twilight Bark. We're featuring a topic in this episode which is quite distressing. So before we begin, I am issuing an advisory that the content we will be discussing may be upsetting to some people. So if you happen to be listening with little ones in your household, then perhaps it's best to come back to this part of the podcast at a later point. Warning over let's begin. The BBC, York press, Daily Record, and the Southwest Farmer are all reporting distressing incidents of dogs being poisoned in varying localities. Some of these cases actually resulting in animal fatalities. Pet owners, Local Authorities, Animal Charities, and Police have been placed on alert as investigations into the various incidents begin to establish the exact circumstances of what's happened in each case. Thankfully statistics I managed to garner, seem to suggest that the incidents of dog poisoning appears to be quite rare, but it is nevertheless an extremely harrowing situation. In 2019 one person was convicted of administering poison in England, that's according to the RSPC and in 2016, the charity received 368 reports of dogs being poisoned. Scott. This is a very, very difficult topic to discuss, but it does need highlighting.

Scott Andrews:

It's an incredibly tragic topic and incredibly troubling, obviously for the people involved it's a horrendous incident. But one of the biggest problems that we're faced with when dealing with poisoning is that no matter how rigorous the investigation, often, the course has never determined.

Caroline Bartley:

So what are the signs of poisoning in a dog?

Scott Andrews:

Very often it depends on exactly what the dog was poisoned with, but certainly you'll see things like vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, blood in the stool, lethargy, loss of appetite, visible bruising, nosebleeds, irregular heartbeat. And one of the more unusual ones is an inability to urinate.

Caroline Bartley:

Poisoning can occur deliberately. We all know that, but it can also happen accidentally. So how at risk are our dogs?

Scott Andrews:

The difficulty is it's you see when you read these stories, the stories refer to incidents that took place when the dog and the owner were out on a walk together. And that's probably the most at-risk environment you take the dog. Certainly in your own home, it's much easier to control the factors that come about on a daily basis. Now there are literally dozens and dozens and dozens of poisons that can impact dogs differently. Some you'll find in the home, some you'll find in the kitchen, some you'll find in the garden. Unfortunately, this would require an entire episode on its own. So what I want to do is just focus on a few things that you might encounter when you're out for a walk.

Caroline Bartley:

Yeah so just narrow it down for us, let's draw our focus in.

Scott Andrews:

Yes. And one of the things that surprises people the most is the number of common flowers or plants that are incredibly dangerous to our dogs. Take for example, azaleas and rhododendrons, very common plants many of us have in our gardens and they happen to be highly poisonous. It just takes a few leaves of these plants to make our dogs badly ill. Another common one is a hedging plant you'll find in many public parks, it's a Cherry Laurel. This is probably the most common cause of poisoning in dogs. And as I say, you can find it in many public spaces.

Caroline Bartley:

And it's because what do they ingest? The leaves? They ingest flowers, seeds of some sort?

Scott Andrews:

It's the leaves. It's almost always the leaves. Now, a lot of the times when we're out for a walk with our dogs, if we're blatantly honest, when they're off the leash our eyes aren't on them all the time. And this is where the danger stems from. The list goes on. It includes things such as, um, Castor Oil Bush. Unfortunately the oil cakes are used in fertilizer. The troubling aspect here is these little cakes look very, very appealing to dogs. Then of course, there's every boy Scouts favorite- conkers.

Caroline Bartley:

Oh?

Scott Andrews:

You know, we all know that the time of year you'll see that the conkers and acorns are all over the place, their harmless, our kids pick them up, we might take them home. The only thing is they're toxic to dogs. In rare cases, they can be the worst kind of toxic. They cause stomach problems, vomiting, intestinal blockages. Another one. What's their flower of Wales.

Caroline Bartley:

Well, that's the daffodil.

Scott Andrews:

Beautiful, beautiful daffodil many of us grow in springtime. Unfortunately every single part of a daffodil is toxic to a dog. Planting season and you're putting them in the ground and you've got the bulbs on the ground beside you and the dogs are running around the garden. If the dog was to eat the bulb, especially if it's a small dog, it would kill it.

Caroline Bartley:

As a keen gardener, whenever I'm planting, digging things up and there are bulbs around, I'm always very, very conscious of the fact that my little dog could ingest something. But no matter how careful you are, there's always that risk there in the back of your mind that maybe there's a stray bulb that has escaped or do you know what I mean?

Scott Andrews:

Absolutely. And it runs further than bulbs. One of the, probably most surprising things that I learned when researching this segment, not just daffodils. Okay. But the water that daffodils has been in.

Caroline Bartley:

I tend to have random pots and baskets around the garden, plastic tubs with old water in it, simply for ease of watering the plants. And you're making me very scared now.

Scott Andrews:

I understand that completely jumping back in to my list. So laburniums is that right?

Caroline Bartley:

Laburnums?

Scott Andrews:

Excuse me, getting all latin there. Now this is one unique part in the sense that again, like the daffodil, all parts are dangerous. Now the seeds especially, but even the bark, even twigs.

Caroline Bartley:

Yeah.

Scott Andrews:

They would all be hazardous to your dog. Yew trees.

Caroline Bartley:

Yes.

Scott Andrews:

Now again, nearly all parts of the yews, even dry chippins, but the worst part with the yews is the leaves. It only takes 30 grams to kill a dog.

Caroline Bartley:

That's not a lot.

Scott Andrews:

That's really a tiny mouthful. The last plant that I can think of. That again I don't think it is that much more common in the garden, but you do find it in bouquets, so maybe you'll throw it away one day. Lilly of the Valley, it contains a toxin that causes vomiting, diarrhea, heart problems fits and collapsing,

Caroline Bartley:

Which looks so pretty, but is in fact lethal to dogs.

Scott Andrews:

Not just dogs to cats as well. Obviously we've been talking about flowers and plants, and I imagine you think about gardens and you think about public spaces like parks there could be herbicides, pesticides, slug pellets. Then you think of the common insects that also can be quite dangerous. Bees, wasps, and hornets.

Caroline Bartley:

The stings associated with those.

Scott Andrews:

We have a little wildlife question for you. I know you liked your Attenborough. Can you name the one poisonous snake that resides in the UK?

Caroline Bartley:

The one poisonous snake? Well, the only snake that I know of that resides in the, in the UK is an adder, but I'm not even sure if that's poisonous.

Scott Andrews:

It is indeed. If you dog happens to be at a distance and your dog does get bitten by an adder, you wouldn't have any idea, you know, it could be gone off in the long grass or wherever.

Caroline Bartley:

Yeah.

Scott Andrews:

Now the symptoms to look out for are swelling, bleeding, fever and seizures. And last but not least is actually something that baffled vets when I lived in the Netherlands.

Caroline Bartley:

Right.

Scott Andrews:

There was a period in one of the years I was living there whetr a number of dogs become ill after walking in the forest just South of Amsterdam. And thetr were paranoid media reports talking about poisonings, you know, is it a human poisoning, is it someone with a vendetta? And eventually they discovered it was caused by blue green algae.

Caroline Bartley:

By algae?

Scott Andrews:

Yes. Now this blue-green algae is deadly. It kills pets quickly. Again, you'd see vomiting and diarrhea, breathing difficulties, you'd see fits. Now this algae, you tend to see late spring to early autumn. The thing to consider is if you have a dog that likes dipping in and out of the water, and there are many breeds that like going for a swim, especially on a hot day, you have to be ultra cautious. Now, personally, if I'm going to let my dog in for a drink, if I see any algae on top of the water, I see that the water is still.

Caroline Bartley:

Yeah, that's never usually a good sign is it?

Scott Andrews:

No for it to be fresher water, you need to see at least a current, like the water moving by.

Caroline Bartley:

So what should you do if you think your dog has been poisoned, what steps should you take?

Scott Andrews:

To borrow a line from dad's army don't panic.

Caroline Bartley:

Don't panic easier said than done though. If your dog is, is swelling, bleeding, perhaps fitting.

Scott Andrews:

Obviously. And you know, your priority is to remove the dog from the scene. Immediately because you don't know what's there, you don't know what's been the cause. And then contact your vet immediately, inform them of when it happened and where it happened. If by any chance you happen to have recognized that your dog was eating something before. If you can bag it up, take it with you. And then follow your vet's advice. The problem is there isn't such a thing as general advice for this topic because different poisons affect the body in different ways.

Caroline Bartley:

Yeah there's no standard protocol as such because each poison will elicit a different response in the dog.

Scott Andrews:

Absolutely.

Caroline Bartley:

Okay. We were talking, um, about leaves, things happening in the garden, susceptibility of dogs to general snuffling around and rooting around when we're taking our dogs out for a walk, when we're letting them loose in the garden, practically, how can we keep them safe?

Scott Andrews:

When you're at home, you can manage the environment. Now there are still dangerous chemicals in the cupboards. There's still chocolate. There's still different foods that can be poisonous, but you've got a better sense of control. When you are out for a walk, your priority has to be environment management. Now what this constitutes. So for instance, if I'm taking my dog somewhere new, that very first time, even if it's a forest or a beach, I am not going to let him off the leash. And the reason for that is I want to look around. I want to assess what's there, assess the hazards so I can know my way around. And that will enable me to better protect my dog for the next time that we return. There are certain commands or exercises, so to speak, that you can train with your dog, that you can train for safety. My own dogs do a few different tricks, but they also do have safety drills that we do use. The most obvious one would be recall. If your dog does not come back, when you call it, when it's off the leash, you shouldn't be letting your dog, off the leash. Then there are a number of other common exercises such as leave Wwhen you want your dog to back away. Drop if your dog has something in his mouth. Wait is different from stay for me. If I'm getting my dog to stay, I will only ever do that face to face, but wait to my dog is when my dog is walking beside me or walking in front of me and I want the dog to stop.

Caroline Bartley:

What about using the word no?

Scott Andrews:

The problem with using the word no is that it has no meaning at all to dogs whatsoever. A lot of people do use no with their dogs, but they use it in so many contexts.

Caroline Bartley:

That the dog finds it hard to distinguish what it actually means then?

Scott Andrews:

Yeah. You know, you might say no to weeing on the carpet. No to eating the child. No to sniffing the postman's bottom. There are so many different no's, it's not easy and it can be a little bit frustrating for the dog.

Caroline Bartley:

It needs to be action specific so that the dog understands.

Scott Andrews:

Yeah, exactly. When you make it action specific, you can create artificial drills to repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, to build a strengthened response in the dog. And this honestly, it's the best way to keep safe. And I beg of every person who says, you know, dogs should be dogs. You know, I'm not going to train my dog. Now you don't have to train your dog to become a circus performer, but you must train your dog to be safe.

Caroline Bartley:

Yeah. On a basic level of discipline is advisable really for the dog's safety first and foremost.

Scott Andrews:

Absolutely. You're doing it for their benefit. So to summarize, if you want to keep your dog safe, don't just trust in the fact that things are going to be okay, train your dog. If you train your dog, um, using these safe commands that I've been discussing, your dog has the best chance of responding to you. You have the best chance of keeping your dog safe when you're out there in the wild world.

Caroline Bartley:

I've left the comfort of my presenter's chair to wander down to the lab at Paw HQ. And time to see what our canine nerd has been researching for this episode, Scott what's under the microscope?

Scott Andrews:

Well there's been a new study that has attempted to map out personality changes brought on by the passage of time.

Caroline Bartley:

All right. So take us through the study then.

Scott Andrews:

Right It was published in scientific reports by, Oh God forbid. This is where my linguistic skills are going to be massively challenged.

Caroline Bartley:

Go on then I'll try not to laugh.

Scott Andrews:

Borbola Turkson of Turkon. Now she's a researcher at the, oh, now I'm seeing symbols that I don't think anyone should be able to read. I could only guess that[inaudible] loren university in Budapest.

Caroline Bartley:

Okay. If anyone, uh, who's from Budapest and who is listening to this and cringing, we, we sincerely apologize.

Scott Andrews:

Absolutely massively. And on my behalf, I'm thoroughly ashamed, but at least I had a go. Right back to the study. So they recruited 217 border collies from, and I love this name. The clever dog database in Vienna.

Caroline Bartley:

Never was a database So aptly named.

Scott Andrews:

I love it. Anyhows the dogs ranged from six months to 15 years old. Now the dogs were evaluated over a series of tests known as the Vienna dog personality test.

Caroline Bartley:

What's that about them?

Scott Andrews:

Right? So it's a series of tests which explore a few different things. Okay. Um, it's broken down into about six different parts. The first part is an exploration test. So the dogs explore a room with different objects in for one minute, whilst the owner ignores the dog, then the next test is the frustration test.

Caroline Bartley:

We've all been there.

Scott Andrews:

Well, to be honest I'd find this extremely frustrating because what they do is they put a little piece of sausage on a string and they dangle it just out of reach of the dog for one minute. Now myself, that would make me crazy. And then there's a novel object test. So they have this little toy that moves on its own and makes a sound and they leave the dog to interact with that. Then there's the ballplaying tests. So they get the owner to play fetch they just repeat it three times, then there's the obedience test, but it has a little bit of a twist. So the owner runs through sit, lie down, stay, come, whilst an experimenter in the room makes rustling noises, I presume with a paper bag or something.

Caroline Bartley:

So this is an attempt to distract the dog. Is it?

Scott Andrews:

Yes.

Caroline Bartley:

Right okay.

Scott Andrews:

And then finally, there's the problem solving test where the owner shows the dog a piece of sausage, places in a bin, places the lid down, lifts off the lid to show the dog how to do the task, and then they leave the dog for one minute to see if the dog will repeat the performance.

Caroline Bartley:

Okay. It's almost like a Krypton factor for doggies.

Scott Andrews:

Absolutely. Now four years later, the researchers invited the living dogs or whoever could make it back. And only 37 of the dogs actually showed up.

Caroline Bartley:

Significantly smaller group than the first group.

Scott Andrews:

Yes. So this is a group that was 217. It went down to 37.

Caroline Bartley:

Ok. The findings then what were they? And what does it show us?

Scott Andrews:

My first instinct was to say that, you know, it was quite obvious. They found that dogs that were the most active and curious in the first test were the most active and curious in the second test.

Caroline Bartley:

Okay. So no change there. Yes the only thing was that individually, each dog was less curious than they had been if that makes sense? The dogs attentiveness and their ability to solve problems changed quite a lot. So the problem solving ability continued to improve up into six years of age before remaining stable. Um, the interest in novel items didn't change so much in early life, but at around three years old, the dog's curiosity decreased. And the ability to tolerate frustration. So remember the sausage on a string? Now this remained the same as did the desire to socialize with other dogs and people. Okay. So the findings then illustrate what exactly?

Scott Andrews:

Essentially dogs continue to develop mentally when you think of cognitive function with problem solving, that cognitive function is still strong, but up until six years old, but there isn't a noticeable decrease. The other thing is you would imagine that a dog would be much more interested in new items when it was a puppy, but actually continued until three years old,

Caroline Bartley:

Cast your mind back, if you will, all the way back. A number of weeks ago, the pilot episode, we discussed dog aging, does this study correlate to what we discussed then, maybe it has no correlation at all?

Scott Andrews:

Interestingly, it's actually quite surprising. So to remind you or to reference it for anyone who didn't listen. In the pilot episod we discussed t he study that h as disproved the idea that a dog, one year of a dog's life is the equivalent to seven human years. Okay. So we found, u m, an incredibly complicated equation was required along with a scientific c alculator, u h, and immeasurable patience to calculate t he dog's age. So, you know, I just referenced the, u m, problem solving and the cognitive ability of dogs. So when you think in terms of the age study that this shows that dogs cognitively improve into their sixties. S o if you remember a five-year-old dog was the equivalent of 60 human years by their DNA, a s even y ear o ld dog would be 62. Now this study suggests that the cognitive ability in terms of problem solving, u m, c ontinued to improve and attentiveness continued to improve until the d og was six. So it would make a dog 61. And I suppose the other point is curiosity. So the interest in novel objects n ow, I just mentioned that you'd i magine it puppies would be the most interested in new things. However, we know that these dogs continued to be interested in novel items until they were three. Going back to the age study, a three year old dog by DNA is 49 years old. Obviously I don't want to embarrass you at all, Caroline, but how interested are you in novel items?

Caroline Bartley:

Honestly, the age I'm at the moment, really the only three things I'm interested in are tea, chocolate and red wine. Those are about the only things that still get me excited after all this time, Aand I've been here quite a while. The study then just extrapolating for that and maybe this is me kind of going off in a slight tangent, does it, or should it make the future brighter for the older puppies?

Scott Andrews:

You would hope so. However, I suppose the first thing to consider is that this study was based upon the smartest of breeds they've taken border collies.

Caroline Bartley:

We all know that border collies are incredibly bright, incredibly agile, inquisitive.

Scott Andrews:

Yeah. So just because a six year old border collie is able to do cognitive gymnastics the same may, well not be true of a beagle or a chihuahua. Realistically, we would need more testing to have any idea about the relevance of this study.

Caroline Bartley:

So the cognitive skills, the cognitive functions you're saying, um, are breed dependent?

Scott Andrews:

No, just to contradict myself nicely. Right? In my own experience from working with dogs it is the, the dog's own experience and the stimulation that you give a dog in its early life that tends to create intellect. Now I have read other studies that suggested that brain size in a dog finishes development around two years old. So if you've had a dog living in a home that he hasn't been shown attention and he hasn't had stimulation in his formative years he is less likely to be a doggy Einstein. But if you, you know, if you're take a younger dog and you fIll it's life full of enrichment games and scent work, and you know, you're constantly offering problems for it to solve, the chances are that it's going to grow up to be an absolute doggy genius. Realistically, what this does tell us about older dogs is that the older the dog is the calmer it tends to be. And logically, the older dog has more experience to draw upon. There's less new situations, less novel items and all of these different activities that tend to distract a dog, are quite mundane once a dog reaches a certain point in its life. All this has highlighted is things that we knew to be true, but what would be wonderful would be if they extended this study to include a wider variation of dog. And hopefully with larger numbers of dogs, because that would tell us just how deep the truth of this study lies.

Caroline Bartley:

We want this dogcast to be as interactive an experience as possible, so please get in touch. You can talk to the paw on Facebook, www.facebook.com/talk2thepawpod, Twitter@talk2thepawpod. Find us on Instagram@talk2thepawpod, email info@talk2thepaw.co.uk. All the podcasts are available to listen and download on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts. Picture the scene. The family's watching TV all cozy and comfy. And the doorbell rings. The kids shout mom the door. To which you nonchanlantly say nah it's okay. It's only the dog. Too bizarre to be true? Apparently not. Scott reveal the gadget, uf you please.

Scott Andrews:

It's the Pebble Smart Doggy Doorbell.

Caroline Bartley:

That sounds like a tongue twister. Oh Lord. What have we got ourselves in for this time? Okay. You better explain what this is then.

Scott Andrews:

So it's a doorbell.

Caroline Bartley:

Okay.

Scott Andrews:

Right, the clever thing, what they've done, they've attached like a, a yellow target disc to the front of a doorbell. And this is pressure activated. So a dog can touch this disc with its nose or with its paw and it will ring the doorbell. Additionally, on top of the doorbell, they've actually got a treat dispenser. So when the dog hits the doorbell, then a treat should fall out from the doorbell. Now these doorbells they can be placed inside the house or outside the house. The idea is to eventually train the dog, to use the doorbell when it's leaving or entering. And it did remind me when I saw it of a slightly older device called a poochybell.

Caroline Bartley:

While you're explaining all of that I have all sorts of mad, mental images, floating around, maybe unfair on my behalf I think this sounds like a great big gimmick. You're laughing at me now as if to say no, it's not a great big gimmick.

Scott Andrews:

Well it's conceptually sound right. Imagine this situation. You've got an elderly dog.

Caroline Bartley:

Yes. Guilty.

Scott Andrews:

Right so your front doorbell rings, not your poochy bell, but your front door rings and you go to, um, to open the door and there's the postman. You have nice little chat, as you are getting your letters or parcels or whatever.

Caroline Bartley:

From a socially distant perspective though let's add.

Scott Andrews:

Obviously. And then you come back into your kitchen or wherever the dog was and you find an ocean of urine sitting there.

Caroline Bartley:

Oh yeah. That's an all too familiar tale with me. Yeah.

Scott Andrews:

One of the issues we have. And you know, the same can be said of puppies is dogs not been able to tell us that they need to go and do their business. The problem is it's such an abstract concept for a dog to try to teach a dog, okay, you need to use a doorbell, knock on the door, do this, do that to get in or out. It's not exactly straight forward.

Caroline Bartley:

What's wrong with just letting your dog out at regular intervals, say every hour or so to do its business and then bring it back into the house. Shouldn't you be doing that as best practice anyway?

Scott Andrews:

Obviously the easier it is for a dog to actually go and evacuate it's bits and pieces the better, but you're a human. Have you ever had a bad kebab or a spicy curry on a Saturday night?

Caroline Bartley:

I know what you're trying to say. Yes. I have absolutely had an upset tummy and err, situations have arisen where I need to make, I think what would be called an emergency toilet stop.

Scott Andrews:

So that's one situation, right? Your body doesn't always give you a warning as to when you need to go. Another typical situation and again, with puppies and older dogs, when the doorbell rang, maybe your dog was asleep and you thought yourself oh, you know, Fido's asleep, it will be no problem. And one of the most common times dogs do need to go is as soon as they wake up. The issue here more than any is, if you can take this abstract concept and you can teach a dog to indicate when it needs to out, then you've got a better chance of not having these accidents at home. But the question and the true question is how you do that?

Caroline Bartley:

Yeah. That's just what I was coming on to. You talk about this, this target device being placed on top of the doorbell and a treat dispenser and all of that sort of thing. How on earth do you go about training a dog to use this? If this seems like something that any of our listeners would be interested in.

Scott Andrews:

I'm sure there'll be some. Who wouldn't want their dog knocking on the door when you've got some friends over, it will make them very, very confused indeed. But okay. First and foremost, it's incredibly tricky. I watched the promo video for the Pebble Smart Doggy Doorbell.

Caroline Bartley:

Rolls off the tongue that doesn't it?

Scott Andrews:

Oh it just does. And when they were training a dog to use it, they were actually using a clicker and every time the dog pressed the doorbell, it got a click and it got a treat. And when I watched this, my first thought was okay, granted they are teaching the dog to use like this pressure pad. But how is that being connected to the door opening? It's really hard to know how each individual dog would need to be trained to use it. A lot depends on the character and the experience. For example, my Scottie freely uses his paws and uses his nose to mark things, but it's still an abstract concept. I suspect the best way to do it would be to encourage the dog, to use the pressure plate. And as soon as it does open the door and let that be the reward. But again, because it's such a concept, it might be tricky. I personally suspect some dogs will get it and some dogs won't, and the biggest problem could be, you might inadvertently teach the dog that you want them to ring the bell.

Caroline Bartley:

Yeah. That's just what I was going to say. You're explaining that and I'm thinking the scenarios, the opportunities for this to go hideously wrong and throw up a range of unintended consequences are plentiful. Funny story for you. Actually, when I was growing up, believe this or not, any of my family are listening they will recognize this story and chortle heartily at the memories. When I was growing up, we had a cat that was able to use the knocker on our front door. I know sounds bizarre. This is true hand on heart. We didn't actually know for a number of weeks, possibly months from memory until one of my late brother's friends was up visiting the house and it was a little black cat. We had numerous animals when we were growing up. Can't remember the name of the cat at the time. All I remember is the front door would knock. Someone would go to the door. There'd be nobody there. But the cat would be there. A cat comes in. Didn't think anything of it. One of my late brother's friends was visiting. They were outside in the car talking, cat comes to the door. Cat stands up on its hind legs, lifts the doorknocker. Somebody opens the door, nobody there, but the cat's there, the cat goes in and he says to my brother, your cat just rang the knocker on your door. And my brother was like, what? But yeah. And we saw it for ourselves. Sorry. I digress. Carry on.

Scott Andrews:

Now, that is quite remarkable. I think that's more witchcraft than anything else.

Caroline Bartley:

Oh, it was.

Scott Andrews:

It wasn't by any chance a black cat?

Caroline Bartley:

It absolutely was a black yes.

Scott Andrews:

What I was going to say, right? The success really depends on the dog's character. Okay. And you know, when people talk of dogs characters they think about personality. I actually want to think more about certain behavioral characteristics of a dog. So let's take dog number one I'm going to call sir Francis Drake or the great explorer. Now this is a dog that loves going outside, that has access to a window, so can see movement, grass moving, cats passing by or whatever. So every time it sees movement, it's going to be running back to the back door. It's not going to be doing it to eliminate. Cos it would already have worked out haha you know that's the gateway to everything good. Or for example, the quiet pooch, like Sir Macho, my own young man. Now, when he wants to come back in the house, he just stands by the back door.

Caroline Bartley:

Yes, he's a silent little poppet isn't he?

Scott Andrews:

He, he won't bark. He won't scratch. He'ss just stand there, sit there. Even if it's a warmer day, lay down.

Caroline Bartley:

He'll just wait however long it takes.

Scott Andrews:

I'm quietly convinced I could spend at these 40 hours trying to teach him to use this doorbell and still he won't. He's a gentlemen. And then for example, I can think of a certain Sheltie who is a people lover. You let her out the back door and she goes and stands by the back door the whole time. Are we going in yet? Are we going in?

Caroline Bartley:

Now, now, now, now.

Scott Andrews:

If you happen to be outside, she'll be looking at you, looking at the door, showing her glance. I want to go in. I want to go in. I want to go in. I want to go in and I can imagine if we had one of these doorbells, all you would hear is ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong. So one of the problems is first assess your dog's character because you might well end up being driven around the bend by a dog hammering on the doorbell.

Caroline Bartley:

You will be a slave to your dog's wishes and commands. Yes rather than it being used to the intended purpose.

Scott Andrews:

That's it. So as I can say, it's a beautiful idea and I've not had direct experience with it so I don't know whether it's possible. I would love to hear from anyone who has about the good and bad experiences of giving your a dog a doorbell. This device, you can put inside your house, outside your house. They even do double packs. So you can have one and one for going it. Now, I don't know if they've got different bell sounds for in and out.

Caroline Bartley:

Um, please, if anyone does have experience of this device and has used it, as Scott says, if you have any experience of operating this or something similar, please get in touch. We would love to hear how you got on. Our Wagtastic Woof this time around is a pint sized pooch with the biggest of hearts and she comes all the way from the U S of A. Mackenzie. A little Chihuahua from New York was named the 2020 American Hero Dog at a gala bash in Los Angeles. This tiny tot weighing in at just four pounds fought off competition from over 400 other entrances to trot off with the top prize at the American Humane Hero Dog Awards 10th anniversary celebration. Mackenzie had a challenging start to life. She was born with a cleft palette and developed aspiration pneumonia, which almost killed her. But despite all of this and her inability to bark, she spent her life nurturing other rescue animals and teaching school children. The importance of kindness. This chihuahua super pup is a doggy mentor to baby animals who can't stay with their birth moms because of specific medical issues and she's nursed and cleaned, cared for and comforted countless kittens and puppies, a mouse, a goat, a squirrel, even a great Dane. Mackenzie also spends her time, visiting schools, teaching children valuable and vital life skills like patience and kindness when caring for animals. Competition organizers were in awe of this powerhouse pooch and praised her as a shining example of how rescuing animals often helps save more than just one life. A huge well done to little Mackenzie, a pawfect example of how good things come in the smallest of packages and for your outstanding achievements as a doggy foster mom and mentor a very well-deserved round of applause. Remember you can nominate your own Wagtastic Woof, get in touch and tell us all about that very special dog who's made a difference to your life. Contact us on Facebook or Twitter. Talk2ThePawPod, email info@talktothepole.co.uk, your stories and comments, questions, and suggestions are all welcome. That's all for now. Thanks so much for your company until next time. Goodbye.

Introduction
The Twilight Bark
The Doggler Effect
Gadgets, Gizmos, Gastronomy
Wagtastic Woofs